The Ultimate Prank War
by rileyluvr13
Summary: What do you get when you cross two groups of teenagers with an intense loathing for each other? An ultimate prank war, of course. LxJ and SBxOC.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it.

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The Ultimate Prank War

Chapter 1: Prologue

**Lily's POV**

I hate James Potter.

Well, I've always hated him, but now it's with a deep, burning passion. And not the positive kind, either.

Oh, so you ask _why_ I hate that arrogant toe rag? Good question. It has an answer.

I, Lily Evans, am a top, straight A student. I've never gotten in trouble, had a detention, or stepped out of line. Not even _once_. You could ask Professor Slughorn; I'm his favorite student ever, and he says he only like good students of high merit.

But, in some puzzling way, James Potter thinks it's funny. Funny that I'm the image of perfect. Funny that there's not one unplaced hair on my head. Funny that I protect my virtue and don't strut around with the head the size of a bursting beach ball. All that is just knee slapping hilarious to him and his partner in crime, Sirius Black.

So, what do immature freaks like them do to innocent girls like me?

That's right. They prank them.

Hex, stun, mortify, whatever you'd like to call it. But they find a way to make my life a living embarrassment. Oh, take a few days ago for instance.

I was walking along with my best friend in the whole entire world, Jadyn Greenfold. We were simply chatting, nothing more or less. It wasn't like we were bothering anyone, especially two messy black haired boys. But, nonetheless, they sauntered up to us in that arrogant way of theirs.

"Hiya, Lilyflower," James had chirped, planting a plastic smile on his face to match Sirius's. Just because James is rumored to have a crush on me _does not _mean he can call me terms of endearment.

"Shut up, we're not bothering you." Jadyn stuck up for me like a good friend should. That is Jadyn: my loyal, trusted friend until the end.

"Oh, really, Greenfold? Because those books for fun reading you're carrying are giving me a _god_ awful allergy." Sirius pretended to sneeze and sniff uncontrollably. _So_ childish.

James turned towards me. "So, whaddaya say to the day in Hogsmeade this weekend? Go with me?"

I snorted, "After the way you've treated me and Jadyn? No way."

James sighed, faking crestfallenness, and looked up at me with sorrowful hazel eyes. Now, at this point, I should've been smart enough to know what was coming. But being as naïve as I am, I folded my arms and stood my ground.

"Fine, then, go break my heart," James sniffed while Sirius looked on in mock anger. "But… just let me give these to you anyway. Since I'll have to burn them if not."

Sirius grasped a pretty batch of roses in his hands as he dragged them out from behind his back. There were shocking pinks, deep reds, and pure whites. Each petal was smooth and creamy. I tenderly took the flowers from his hands in total awe. They had temporarily stunned me.

That is, until James and Sirius's pretenses turned to smirks and they flicked their wands with a simple incantation.

Pus, the sticky greenish yellow color it was, shot out from the center of every rose. It covered my face and flaming red hair in a gunk as thick as paste. Little boils popped up from every inch of my skin while Jadyn looked on horrified. It hurt like _hell_; each sprouting boil did. And there was nothing I could do about it while mortified to death.

Meanwhile, James and Sirius guffawed and chuckled as if this was the funniest spectacle they had ever seen in their short-lived lives (that were about to become _much_ shorter). A small group of curious first years gathered around as Slytherins taunted perfect student Lily Evans covered in pus and boils.

Tears formed in my emerald eyes at that point while Jadyn pushed me through the hallway crowds and into the hospital wing. I got treatment immediately but had to stay in mummy coma bandaging for a week in the hospital wing.

It was the worst day of my life… so far.

Now it should be quite obvious why I hate James and Sirius. Mostly James, though. They are rotten old gits who have no right to annoy people like me.

But revenge is crossing my mind now.

How can I get James Potter back? Solutions and plans are crossing my mind every second, most of them being too deadly, dark, or guaranteed a trip to a psychologist. And now, the most brilliant idea has struck me.

A prank. No, a prank _war_.

If James and Sirius can play dirty, why not me? With the help of Jadyn and a few library books, I could concoct the best prank to fool James and Sirius and to send the warning that Lily Evans is _no _girl to mess with.

The ultimate prank war is about to begin. Grab a seat, because it's _going_ to get messy.

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**A/N:** I had this idea for a little while now. Please tell me if this has potential and whether or not I should continue.

Read and review please!


	2. Jelly Wiggly

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Harry Potter!

**A/N:** Here comes the second chapter… Enjoy!

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The Ultimate Prank War

Chapter 2: Jelly Wiggly

**James's POV**

I can't get her out of my head.

She's swirling around in there like some fantasy dream that I can't have. Twirling, laughing, mocking. It's killing me slowly. I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up dead tomorrow with Lily's name stamped out on my head.

I know I shouldn't have pranked Evans. But the opportunity was too sweet. She was asking for it, rejecting me every second. I still can't believe Sirius talked me into it.

"C'mon, Prongs, let's just prank Evans, teach her a lesson in rejecting the ole Prongsie," Sirius had joked last week, punching me in the arm.

"I don't think that's a good idea. She's put up with enough of our pranks throughout the years. One more will just send her over the edge," I thought, picturing Sirius as the evil joker with a big red smile on his face and jagged teeth. _That_ was one scary mental image.

"Like you haven't pushed her already." Remus rolled his eyes, flipping another page in a big volume on spells he was reading. I always thought Remus had a soft spot for Lily. It must be all the time they spent together being prefects these days.

"Don't mind Moony, he's a little on edge today," Sirius had said, waving him off. "Must be his time of the month."

"Only if it's yours, Padfoot."

"Shut up! Anyway, please James? So I don't go into a little hole and die a slow, painful death of not pranking Evans just _once_ more in my short-lived life?"

I thought it over, grumbling, "Fine, but just once. She won't be happy about it, but I suppose she can't hate me even more than she does already. But after that_, no more pranking Lily_. Deal?"

"Deal," Sirius had agreed, shaking my hand.

So we went ahead and gathered up the pus, the roses, the whole spectacle. It wasn't before long the opportunity came. Lily was dressed oh-so-perfectly in her robes that day, with her pretty, sparkling emerald eyes glowing. It was like an angel from my dreams.

The prank carried out perfectly. Lily was as shocked as ever and Sirius got a good laugh out of it. And everything seems fine right now. I'm not pranking anymore, Lily has returned to classes, and Sirius is back to his normal self. Sure, Lily did spend a week in the hospital wing after that, and I've felt incredibly guilty every second. Like dirt on my shoes before a Quidditch match during the rain, it washed away once I saw her red head back in classes.

But now, Lily's been giving me evil glares all the time. When I ask her out (like usual), she just ignores me and walks away. I usually get a reaction, but the cold shoulder? That's harsh, Evans, _plain_ harsh.

Now, she and Jadyn have been spending more time in the library than usual. Remus reports back to me everyday and says they've been checking out books like _Pranks for Dummies_ and _Pranks Galore_. I think I have every right to be afraid of the wrath of Lily Evans right now.

And anyway, I can always blame everything on Padfoot later if worst comes to worst.

* * *

**Jadyn's POV**

I think Lily's gone off the deep end with this plan of revenge.

She's been dragging me to and from the library all week. It's driving me insane. I mean, there's only so much I can take of that stuffy room with the hawk-eyed Madam Pince staring down my throat. And books. Books are fun and all, but reading them gets tiring after a while.

As I was sifting through yet another volume of pranks, Lily spoke up, "Hey, I think I found the perfect one!"

I shifted in my seat, not taking her statement too seriously. She had jumped for joy at the "perfect prank" at least ten times that hour, before waving me off back to my seat in false alarm. "Yes?"

"Look… no, not there, _there_! Don't you think it would be _perfect_?" Lily's eyes beamed with satisfaction, having finally figured out a prank bad enough for James.

My eyes scanned across the lines written in the old volume:

_Jelly Wiggly Jell-O: Set the Jelly Legs Jinx onto a pot of Jell-O (or any semi-solid substance). Let sit for ten minutes. When the prankee takes a bite, starting with their legs, their bodies will shake and wiggle uncontrollably immediately after ingestion. Lasts for five minutes tops – perfect for short length embarrassment. Warning: May cause clumsiness and/or concussions and/or slight problems with the jiggly brain._

Usually, my common sense would win over and I would stop Lily from further carrying out a dirty deed like this. But, seeing Sirius Black writhe over, spazzing out on the floor of the Great Hall in front of his friends, admirers, and Slytherins was too good of a deal to pass up. Because, come on, school wide embarrassment would be ensured!

"Yeah, it does look good. But… do we have Jell-O?" I asked, cocking my head in curiosity, making my black hair with blue electric steaks fall into my blue eyes.

"I'll just use the spell in the pudding at dinner," Lily shrugged, folding over the corner of the book for easy access.

"Okay, I'll agree to this on one condition: Can Sirius Black be a part of this too?"

"Well, I was planning on having him included, but now that you insist…" Lily trailed off into thought, smiling secretly like she knew something I didn't. Honestly, sometimes I do _not_ get that girl. "Sure, Jade. We can include Sirius."

"Thanks," I quickly said, standing up and stretching my limbs from the hours of cramped conditions. "So, can we beat out of this place? I'm starving and this dust is giving me a runny nose."

"Not yet, Jadyn, be patient," Lily whined, stuffing her books into her bag. "We can't go to dinner just yet. We've got to get the prank ready."

"Tonight?" I stared at Lily in awe. "We just found this prank and you're willing to carry it out _tonight_?"

"Yes. Yes I am," Lily said finally.

"But what if you change your mind?"

"I won't."

"What if it harms them?"

"It won't."

"What if _I _get hurt as a result of James and Sirius wanting _me_ to hurt because I was the accomplice of the person who caused _them_ to get hurt?"

"Did that even make sense?"

I shrugged, gathering my wand and spare parchment. "Probably not. But do you get my point?"

"Yeah, Jadyn, I do, but I think a weeks' worth of time is long enough for no revenge. They're going to forget what they did soon, and that can't happen."

I sighed, defeated by Lily's persuasive speech and stubbornness. There was no way to win against her. Boy, did James have his work cut out for him! "Fine, fine. When do we prepare?"

Lily smiled evilly, and I caught a glimpse of her sister Petunia's grimace hidden somewhere. "Starting now. I'll go down and get some pudding, while you stay here and practice the incantation for the jinx."

As Lily raced off up to the Great Hall, I muttered under my breath, "Man, James and Sirius don't know just how goddamned they are."

* * *

**Lily's POV**

As I'm entering the Great Hall, heads are turning. It's about the time of dessert, which is absolutely great for this prank. Perfect timing, perfect plan, perfect prank.

"Oh, hello, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter," I greeted, trying not to seem too suspicious. Moving quickly, I snatched the pudding that Sirius was about to shove into his mouth and away from his grasp.

James looked as if his birthday had been doubled over and come twice as fast. "Evans! You're – you're speaking to me again!"

"Yeah, who cares about what goes out of your mouth, but what goes in it. Why'd you take that pudding, Evans? I was gonna eat that!" Sirius pouted, spoon still stuck in mid air.

"I missed dinner, in the library studying, so some pudding will suffice for Jadyn and me," I shrugged, starting to skip away.

Something about walking around the hallways down to the library with a handful of pudding in your hands wasn't exactly common, even for Hogwarts. Everyone was giving me strange stares and not making the connection between a Prefect badge and pudding. But I kept on walking, head held high and not stopping until I reached outside the library.

"Quick, put the jinx on now," I whispered to Jadyn, careful to keep my voice down just in case Madam Pince heard about messy food within two feet of her precious volumes of books.

She muttered the incantation quietly. The pudding glowed a deep red before turning back to normal. Jadyn and I slumped down on the wall, beginning the longest ten-minute wait of my life.

* * *

**James's POV**

When Lily had come over smiling happily and talking to me, I knew something bad was about to happen.

Still, when Lily and Jadyn finally appeared about ten minutes later and took places by the Marauders, I was too stunned to even talk. They had never sat anywhere within ten feet of us, but now, right next to us?

"Hey guys," Jadyn greeted, placing the pudding onto the long oak table in front of Sirius.

"What took you so long, Greenfold? I wanted pudding ages ago!" Sirius whined, spooning gobs and gobs onto his golden dish. He passed it over to me. Assuming that if Sirius was crazy enough to try it, I should too. I spooned some onto my plate and set the bowl back down. This only seemed to strengthen Lily's overly joyful smile.

"Really? We couldn't have guessed," Remus said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Peter squeakily giggled.

"Are you okay, Lily?" I asked, shoving some dessert into my mouth while Sirius shoveled his in like a garbage truck.

"Oh, just dandy!" Lily responded. Jadyn looked as if she was constipated, like she was holding in something she shouldn't have been.

But suddenly, I could find the words to talk. I couldn't form the words. My legs started to jiggle violently, feeling very much like the pudding I had just swallowed. Sirius had a similar reaction next to me. Suddenly, the jiggles moved up frame, shaking my body, arms, and nose like a kid pulling a clothes hanger rope.

Unable to control my movement, I flopped off the bench onto my back on the floor. A thud sounded as Sirius hit the ground next to me. People from the adjacent Ravenclaw table whipped around, covering their mouths in shock at this weird seizure-like movement. Slytherins stood up to get a better look at the heartthrobs of the schools writhing on the ground. Fan girls squealed and shrieked at their beloved, hurt heroes.

"Prongs? Padfoot?" Peter squeaked, jumping up off the bench and craning his neck to get a better glimpse at the scene unfolding below him.

"Hey, look!" Snape shouted above all the commotion. "It's Potter and Black, wiggling like a bunch of flobberworms on the ground!"

If there were any stray, wandering heads in the room, they were all turned towards me now. Blush started to creep up my neck, staining my cheeks a vivid red from what I could feel. What had caused this? Why was I jiggling like a fresh fruitcake on a platter? But all my answers were resolved when I saw Lily and Jadyn sneering over me, vengeance written across their smiles.

"Don't prank me ever again, James Potter," Lily hissed into my ear as she stepped over Sirius and me, laughing and chatting like nothing had happened.

Revenge. It was _on _now.

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**A/N:** Like it? Love it? Think it sucks? Tell me in a review!


	3. It's On

**Disclaimer: **Nuh uh, I didn't come up with Harry Potter.

**A/N:** An update! Woo hoo! This story is back on track. As soon as I finish _Meaning of the Lilyflower_, I can devote my whole time to writing this.

So… YAY!

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The Ultimate Prank War

Chapter 3: It's On

**Lily's POV**

Okay, so, maybe it was a little _too_ mean.

Nah, who am I kidding? It was _perfect_!

James and Sirius were embarrassed to no end. I mean, we actually were able to turn their streak of pranking around. The look on their faces when Jadyn and I sneered over them in triumph – it was _priceless_. The whole Great Hall had turned their heads to gape at them writhing on the ground like a couple of fish out of water. I don't think I've ever felt so powerful over anyone in my life.

But, strangely, it's not enough. Sure, the school-wide mortification was pretty bad, but it doesn't make up for the years I've been hexed and pushed around, not to mention left in the hospital for a week only a few days ago. Although I was trying myself not to plan, not to think about it, be happy that James possibly had learned his lesson, I kept thinking of pointless reasons to make trips to the library with Jadyn. I'd hide joke books under potion volumes, hex pages in between Transfiguration essays.

Jadyn keeps telling me I've gotten too full of this whole revenge business and myself. I tell her to shut up.

"Lily! Lily! _Miss Evans_!" Professor Flitwick snapped at me. I stared down as the parchment in front of me, clean and blank like an unmarked slate. Why hadn't I taken notes?

"Sorry, Professor Flitwick," I murmured, too embarrassed to lift my head.

"As I was saying – " I received another rather annoyed look from Flitwick, " – you are to be partnered with Mr. Potter."

I gaped at him in utter shock. How could _I_ be partnered with James? He knew I hated James; practically the whole school had heard of the evil pus prank him and Sirius played on me two weeks ago. Was this a punishment for not paying attention? If that were so, I'd show up for class every day and glue my eyes to him during the whole two hours. _Anything_ but being partnered with James.

Why? Why must life torture me so cruelly in the form of a black-haired boy with glasses and hazel eyes?

I caught Jadyn's eye from next to me. A sad, sympathetic little smile traced her features; she had been partnered with a nice, tidy, smart Ravenclaw fifth year. Nice, tidy, smart. The exact opposite of my partner.

"Now that all the groups are decided, you will practice casting the Atmospheric Charm over each other in a corner. Remember the incantation: _Atosmorphia_. It is _imperative_ you practice saying it like that. Even a slip of the tongue could cause a whirring tornado or hurricane to flare up. And we don't want anyone dead today, thank you very much!"

Oh, because we _all _wanted to watch James live to see tomorrow without a scratch!

Grumbling, but knowing my inevitable task, I slid through desks over to the corner where James was leaning against the stone wall, patiently waiting for me. As _if_. He should be the one begging for _my_ mercy after that school-wide mortification!

"Hello, James," I said in a clipped tone, setting down my bag on a desk and whipping my wand out into position.

"Hi, Lily," he replied, taking the same exact stance as me.

"_Atosmorphia_. So, how are you?" I asked, casting a bright and cheery sun over his head. It was simple and safe. Hopefully a treaty of peace.

"Fine, great, fantastic. And you?"

"Splendid."

James flicked his wand, muttering the incantation, and I immediately felt the warmth of the sun come over me. It heated my skin instantly and was as searing as the summer's wavy heat.

"Watch it, you don't want to give me a sunburn."

"But wouldn't it turn into a tan? That would make you look cute."

I rolled my eyes. This boy was_ impossible_.

"So, you aren't mad about that prank, right?" I asked curiously. I mean, I didn't exactly feel guiltless about what I did. I'm not _that _heartless.

"Oh, no, not at all. I probably deserved it," he shrugged, but the sun suddenly stopped glistening off my red hair and was replaced by the shadiness that could only come from clouds. Big, stormy, _rainy_ ones.

"Good. Because it's not over yet."

I don't know what made me say it. I had no intention of letting him know I was planning something new. But, unfortunately, he had heard me. His mouth gaped open in surprise, accidentally letting a light drizzle loose from the clouds. I yelped in surprise, trying to brush the soft mist from my hair. It was already cold enough during this normally warm spring season – I didn't need rain to top it off.

"What'd you do that for?" I asked angrily, clouds filing in to cover the sun over James's head. They were swirling dangerously, around and around like people tumbling down a hill.

"You said your prank wasn't over."

"So? It isn't!"

"But, c'mon Lily, mine was just a simple little joke! And yours was pretty bad, if I recall properly."

"Point? You put me in the hospital wing for a week, James. That revenge wasn't sweet enough."

"It wasn't even my idea! It was Sirius's!" James sent the rain a little harder down on me. My robes started to cling to me with dampness. But, surprisingly, he didn't seem mad. Just shocked. Maybe even entertained. It _was_ amusement I saw on his face – right?

No, no, it couldn't be.

"I don't care whose fault it was. You deserve the string of pranks coming for you. All these years, you've pranked me. And now I'm taking revenge on you. Is that so bad?"

"Yes, in fact, it is," James replied with a satisfied smirk on his face. The rain started heavily pouring on me in sheets, drenching me from head to toe. In a reaction, I spiraled the winds above his head faster.

I know, I know, Professor Flitwick said no tornadoes. But, hey, I couldn't help it at the time!

"You listen to me Lily," James said, his messy jet-black hair whipping across his face as mine stuck to my face like wet, sticky glue as he stepped closer to me. The winds were deafening to our ears and the rain made it impossible for either of us to see outside the circle. We were totally oblivious to what was going on in the classroom. Our noses were practically touching. It was all I could do to not whip out my fist and punch his…

"There's a prank war coming. I'm not going down without a good fight. This war will make you wish you never even tried to embarrass me, James Potter, in front of the whole school."

"There goes your ego again… air inflating it like a balloon…"

"Lily, I'm serious."

"No, Black over there is."

James took one hand and smacked it against his forehead in my utter stubbornness and unwillingness to listen. Serves him right! A prank war? I mean, _come on_! I had already won this so called war, didn't I? I had won before it even _started_.

Not for James, as it appears.

"Just watch out, Lily. You don't know what I'm capable of."

"I think I do."

"I'm pretty sure you don't."

"You're forgetting that Jadyn's my best friend."

"And you're forgetting that the Marauders are mine."

I sighed. Was he _ever_ going to give up and admit defeat?

"First battle at sunset?"

I jumped back a little in surprise. "What? What do you mean?"

James's hazel eyes were determined, with a playful little smirk quirked on his lips. "Why, the prank war of course. First battle at sunset?"

I put my hands up in order to stop his words. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said I ever agreed to this war?"

"You did."

"When?"

"When you pranked me with the pudding."

I snorted loudly, enough to turn a couple of heads. "Come on, James. It was a prank. Not the epic start to some epic battle of some epic war."

James held a finger up. "Epic _prank_ war."

"Whatever! God, fine, you're on. But I will win. And I'm not playing like a girl."

James smirked. "Funny, the last time I checked, you were."

I stuck out my tongue at him, and it quickly caught all the pounding drops of water coming down from the cloud above me. The tornado above James was full fledged, and he was beginning to be dragged backwards into its vortex.

"_Miss Evans! Mr. Potter_!" Professor Flitwick's voice sprang into my thoughts. I whipped around, looking for him. The blinding rain made it hard to see, but I surely saw his tiny figure amongst the crowd gathered around our rainstorm tornado circle. And boy, I don't think a tomato could beat the ripe red of his face.

Oops.

"I – said – no – _natural disasters_!" Professor Flitwick scolded, waving his wand in circles to counter effect the growing storm mass that was about to bury Hogwarts, let alone the classroom, in water.

"Gee, what's a little wind and water compared to magic, Professor?" Sirius stupidly asked, earning a hard whack from his partner, a tough looking Ravenclaw girl. Jadyn snickered behind her cupped hand.

Professor Flitwick sighed, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. "Fine! Class dismissed! Detention, Miss Evans and Mr. Potter!"

My jaw dropped. Me? _Detention_? I'd never gotten one in my _life_, and, suddenly, I'm partnered with James, and this is what happens. Not only did I get in a huge fight that attracted the attention of the whole class, but I've just sealed the deal for a merciless prank war and gotten my first demerit on my clean record.

_Perfect_.

The look of shock on my face triggered James's wide, flashing smile and his whispered words in my ear.

"It's on."

Scowling, I whipped my head around to face him, my hair flicking drops of water onto his glasses. The glare I was giving him could only be identified as the go-crawl-under-a-rock-and-die stare. My personal favorite, saved especially for James.

"It's _been_ on."

For some, most likely stupid, reason, he grinned at me and waved to the Marauders, who trailed up to him like a couple of obedient dogs. Sometimes, it was really a wonder how they stayed friends with each other. James, the airhead, Sirius, the sex god, Remus, the brains, and Peter, the one who was always there unnoticed but realized when absent. They were so different, yet so close.

Jadyn rushed up to me, handing a towel over she transfigured out of somebody's quill. "Hey, you okay?"

"How much?"

She honestly looked surprised. Or faked her true expression really, _really_ well. "What do you mean?"

"How much did that crowd hear about the prank war?"

She shifted her feet under her and avoided the answer as much as possible. Jadyn was pretty much straightforward most of the time. Which had to mean that this reply was _extremely_ bad.

"Umm… well… most of it. And some have started taking bets. Ten galleons on James so far."

Oh. Great. So, Hogwarts was expecting James to come out of this prank war alive? I'd prove them wrong.

I'd prove them _all_ wrong.

* * *

**A/N:** I'd thought I'd end this here. Not much of what you'd expect from a month and a half wait, huh? But, good news: this story isn't on hiatus anymore! WOO!

Read and review please!

**A/N EDIT 5/2/08: I just edited this and made some big changes. Please re-read before the next chapter comes out in a few days!**


	4. Rules

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** **If you haven't read Chapter 3 since it first came out, please re-read it!** I made changes on May 2nd that are imperative to the storyline.

Just to let you know, I feel guilty about not updating. Sorry!

* * *

The Ultimate Prank War

Chapter 4: Rules

**Jadyn's POV**

"Black!"

"Greenfold."

"Jerk."

"Idiot."

"Git."

"… Idiot."

"You already used that one."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes!"

"No, you annoying little ugly freakin' – "

"Can you both just _shut up_ for two seconds? I don't see how we're going to get anything accomplished if you're fighting across the table!"

That shut me up.

Lily was in a horrible mood lately. After Flitwick had lectured her and James on the wrongness of their actions, he assigned them a collaborative ten-page essay on what not to do with the Atmospheric Charm. Needless to say, neither was too happy spending an afternoon in the library with the company of each other plus Sirius and me.

Okay, well, maybe James was a little more than enthusiastic to have a reason to see Lily outside of classes. Hey, he had a crush. It took an utter moron, or Lily, for that matter, to see that.

Sirius Black? Now, _that_ was a different story.

"Sorry, Lily, but if Black could keep his nose out of my _business_," I emphasized, pulling back the hidden joke book from Sirius's eager gaze in front of me, "then we could possibly have an agreement going."

"_I_ am being a perfect little angel." He jabbed his finger into his chest. Probably trying to make some kind of point. I didn't feel like listening, so I just dragged the cover of _Potion Making for Fifth Years_ in front of my face, declaring this conversation over.

James put down his quill exasperatedly – he was on his sixth page – and glanced over at Sirius and me, hands inky and hair sticking up in odd angles from his hands running through it too much. "Please stop, you guys. Ten pages for me and Lily to finish and all you are doing to help is arguing endlessly."

"James, you don't understand! She's reading a _joke book_. As in, she's coming up with ammo for the _prank war_. Aiding _Lily_. Come on! You can't expect me to just sit here twiddling my fingers while she's planning my, not to mention _your_, demise."

I glanced out of the corner of my eye. Lily caught my gaze between her straight red hair. I knew her question before she said it.

_Found any good ones?_

I shrugged my shoulders unnoticeably and buried my nose in the book again.

"Prank war or not, I've got to get this done." Even though James meant it casually, I felt the passion burning under the words. He was just as fired up about this prank war as Lily was.

Or, rather, as much as the demon-believed-sex-god sitting across from me.

His mouth looked big enough for someone to shove a whole cherry pie in it at once. I might try that one day in the near future. "You can't be _serious_."

"You're right. Because that's you." I peeped out from behind my book to catch his expression at another bad name pun. His face looked murderous. Oh. _No_.

Focusing back on the joke book in three, two, one…

"Anyway, James, you doing okay with the first few pages?"

"Yeah, of course, Lily."

James was doing most of the work for this essay, and it was getting on Lily's nerves. She was used to taking manners into her own hands and finishing schoolwork herself. We were both unaccustomed to him being so… _nice_. Lily seemed, to me, caught in between wanting to get down on her knees and thank him for the rest of her life, and wanting to smack him silly and release the most vengeful string of pranks.

Poor guy. He didn't know what he was in for.

"Good," Lily stumbled, trying to avoid a compliment or thanks in any way. "'Cause I wouldn't want to handicap you for the prank war, or anything. Fair game, of course, is the best game."

"But it's _not fair_!" Sirius cried. He looked like a little baby, ready to burst out with tears and pent-up emotion at any second. "Jadyn's got a joke book in her lap, and she's reading it! Would she really be absorbed in a potions book like a joke book?"

I opened my mouth and held up a pointed finger. "Actually, Sirius, some people actually _do_ their homework – "

"Shut up," he whispered dangerously. I feared for my life a second. There was a hateful tone in those uttered words.

"It's not against the rules to look for pranks while with the enemy," James simply stated, continuing to scrawl on the parchment in front of him.

"Do we even _have_ rules, Potter?" Lily asked, looking up at him for a split second.

"Of course."

"Like…?"

"Rule number one: James wins in the end."

Lily narrowed her eyes. I couldn't blame her. It was times like these when I really wish James could change for the better. "That's not a rule."

"It should be."

"But it isn't. And… maybe we _should_ come up with some rules," Lily added on an afterthought. "So none of you cheat."

"Rules. All the better for breaking," Sirius added, leaning back on his chair, the tiny legs teetering on collapsing. I hoped he fell.

"Hand me some parchment, James," I asked, sliding the joke book into my lap while setting the potions book on the table to prove that I indeed _was_ "studying potions", contrary to Sirius's belief. James obediently handed over a clean piece, not a mark of ink on it. At the top, I scrawled:

_The Ultimate Prank War_

_Official Rules_

Lily snorted as she read over my shoulder. "'The Ultimate Prank War'? It sounds like we're in some kind of mega-duel of something."

"We kind of are, Lils."

She shrugged. "Okay. So, James. What do you think is a fair rule?"

He cocked his head thoughtfully for a second. "Probably something along the lines of how the prank is only valid if committed by the two in the war."

I nodded, writing:

_1. Pranks are valid only if committed by the two challengers._

"Oh, I've got one," Sirius added. "No planning pranks right in front of the opposing _team_!"

"I've got a better one. How about only the two challengers are eligible to create rules?" Lily asked, glaring at Sirius.

I wrote it down in my neat, flowing script.

"If the prank damages someone outside of the bet, unless for those willing to help, that challenger is automatically disqualified," James shrugged, glancing at Lily for confirmation. That was James, the true Hogwarts boy. Watching out for other's safety.

"And here's one," Lily nodded, her emerald eyes filled with a sparkle that could only be described as excited. Hey, it beat working on Charms homework. "The winner is the one who survives the longest without forfeiting."

"How about… accomplices like Sirius and Jadyn are allowed in the mastermind and setting up of the pranks," James said without looking up as he continued to scrawl on the seventh page of his and Lily's Charms homework, ink smearing in large blotches on the underside of his hand.

"We probably have to establish some kind of peace time, a cease fire," Lily joked.

"Okay," James agreed, nodding his head without glancing at Lily. "A treaty can be made between the two challengers for any length of time while having an unbiased witness present."

"Got that. Next?"

Lily thought for a second, and then claimed, "The pranks shouldn't harm the opposing side in a physical way. Emotional is guaranteed, but physical – as in, requiring more than a week in the hospital wing – is prohibited."

I could swear I heard Sirius mutter, "Damn, there's goes half of them," under his breath.

"Any more?"

"All pranks are legit in all forms except for living things," James added.

"_What_?" Lily gasped, almost choking on laughter.

"You know," he continued. "You can't use another human being to be the prank. Like, I can't have Sirius go up to you and say, 'Hey, pull my finger! I pranked you!' Humans, or living things, aren't real pranks."

He made total sense, so I continued to write this one down, even though Lily shot daggers at me. Not one of her favorite rules.

"I would never do that. It's the oldest one in the book," Sirius mumbled loudly enough for me to hear.

"Oh, really? Whoever said you're the smartest wand in the shop?"

Man. I have really got to stop with the sarcastic comments. He's shooting jets of the Killing Curse through those piercing gray eyes.

"Others?" I warily asked. My hand was cramping up from all of this writing.

"I think that's fine – " Lily started before James but in.

"A tie-breaker."

Lily cocked her head and stared at him in horror. "A tie-breaker?"

He shrugged. "In case one of us never forfeits."

"So… what do you suggest it to be, Potter?"

"A _huge_ prank. Hogwarts will take sides. Whatever side outdoes the other wins."

Sirius gaped at him, but he seemed excited more than anything else. "Seriously? The whole _school_?"

I nodded as I vigorously scribbled down every rule they were throwing at me. "It'll be big. And an automatic decision."

"Sounds like just my kind of thing," Sirius smiled, continuing to lean back on his chair and steeple his fingers like a villain.

"Done?"

Lily nodded. "I think we've got a good amount here. Those seem fair."

I drew two lines at the end of the page and added an "x" in front of each one. Since my dad worked in the wizarding law, I knew all about important contracts; how to make them official, what procedures to follow, how to seal them. "Okay, to make this official, sign."

James snatched the parchment and scribbled down a hasty "James Potter". "Okay, Lils, go make this official," he said, sliding it towards her across the table.

"Don't call me Lils." Lily gave one final, piercing glare before ducking down and signing "Lily Evans" in her neat script. "That's it, Jade?"

I nodded, taking back the paper. "And, me and Sirius as witnesses…" I made another two signature spots and signed my name, Jadyn Greenfold. It came out looking totally illegible, but, hey, who cared?

Passing the paper to Sirius, he signed his name hastily and pushed the paper back to me. "Okay? So, that's it? We can get to the pranking yet?"

I scowled. "Not quite. We have got to make this sealed. Punishment of inability to follow rules?" I asked Lily and James.

James thought long and hard for a few seconds and finally said, "Automatic loss of prank war."

"Agreed," Lily added.

I muttered the incantation under my breath, adding the consequences and participants at the appropriate times, all while touching the parchment with my hand and wand. It glowed a bright white light and heated up my fingertips before flashing back to normal and, once again, becoming a simple piece of parchment. Only the four of us really knew its secrets.

"Okay, so, that's it? I can beat this place before it gives me a type of extreme unnatural allergy?" Sirius asked, rising out of his creaky chair and stretching his limbs to who-knows-where.

Lily sighed. "_You_ can. But James and me still haven't finished our Charms work."

"Who cares? I'm out," he said, walking through the library door and heading out into the hallway.

I waited about two full minutes to make sure he was completely gone before heading out myself with a short, sympathetic wave to Lily, leaving _The Ultimate Prank War, Official Rules_ in the challengers' hands.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, kind of short, but I wanted to get this out. Rules, we all love them :P

Don't forget to review! Please read and review!


	5. The White Door

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Harry Potter! There. I said it. Now onto the story, please?

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. I've actually been working on this chapter for a few weeks now, as well as mapped out the rest of the story. I've got some great plots coming. At least, I think they're great. You have to review and tell me.

This chapter goes out to my friend whose birthday is today! Happy birthday!

* * *

The Ultimate Prank War

Chapter 5: The White Door

**Lily's POV**

"Can you believe it? Six days after the rules have been set in stone, and nothing from James!"

"It's brilliant, I know," chorused Jadyn, focused on scribbling down last minute's homework on a spare piece of parchment. She was never the best student, always just getting by with just the right marks in the right places. Jadyn knew she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps – and, face it, that didn't require top-notch grades.

Me, on the other hand? I had completed all my essays, like usual.

We were heading back from breakfast. It was a long morning, full of stuffing our faces with biscuits, eggs, and bacon, and studying for the OWLs coming up soon. I was reading like crazy, cramming every little bit of information into my brain.

But, of course, the other half of my brain was occupied with possible hexes to use once James unleashed a prank on us. Which was strange, since it had been a long time since the rules were established. It felt like one of those quiet moments before the storm; the leaves were turned upward, the smell of rain was in the air, and clouds were fogging the sky, but there was no storm to be seen.

"What time is it?" I suddenly asked, realizing that we could be late for Transfiguration. We had none of our books or wands, for that matter, and it was getting close to the start of classes.

"Oh, I dunno. Probably around seven or something."

"Then we've got to hurry up! Class starts in an hour!" I screeched, pulling Jadyn after me as we raced down the hall.

"Lily, can we slow down? I think you just twisted my ankle! And I haven't finished the homework! I was kind of counting on this walk to help me out!" she called from behind me. I glanced back, seeing her blue streaked hair swaying behind her from an undone ponytail. Clearly, she wasn't ready.

"Fine, fine, fine." I slowed down, seeing the portrait hole within a few steps reach. Why couldn't Jadyn be _faster_, for God's sake!

Peter Pettigrew was waiting outside of the portrait hole, casually leaning against the frame – well, as casual as Peter could look. There was a nervous air that seemed to cloud the atmosphere around him. At the sight of Jadyn and I, he squeaked and raced inside.

I hastily muttered the password as we approached the Fat Lady. She swung open to let us into the common room. I tugged Jadyn, her nose scraping the ink soaked parchment she was scribbling on, after me.

And, much to my dismay, James was sitting in one of the crimson chairs by the fire. Sirius sat next to him, engrossed in summoning and banishing a variety of schoolbooks across the room. Remus was nowhere to be found. Peter was panting heavily, gesturing wildly with his hands.

As we entered, I caught a few words they were muttering.

" – Peter, could you have made it any more – "

" – you stupid git, you totally gave it away – "

" – I saw her coming, and I rushed – "

" – well, that's great, genius – "

" – do you think – "

"Think _what_?" I inserted, snapping them out of whatever stupid world they revolved around. Probably one called the Marauder's Paradise, since they named everything they knew after themselves. Conceited fools.

Sirius flipped his head around, staring open mouthed at us. James broke into a fake, deceiving grin at the sound of my voice. "Hey, Lils. How are you?"

"Better, if you weren't here to make my gray morning darker."

"Glad to hear I brighten up your day as much as you brighten mine."

I rolled my eyes. "Any particular reason why you're – "

"Is that actual _schoolwork_?" Sirius gaped at Jadyn. She hadn't lifted her head once since we entered the common room. At the sound of Sirius's voice, she glanced up and narrowed her eyes, her nose tinged with ink.

"Why, yes it is, Black. I like to pass my classes."

"But… nobody does homework!"

"Oh, yes, that's why every wizard isuneducated, working in muggle jobs that require no magical knowledge at all," I snapped.

That shut Sirius up.

Just so I wouldn't have to argue some more, I swiftly turned on my heel and started climbing up the stairs to our dormitory, Jadyn putting aside her homework to actually focus on not tripping over her own feet. Once we reached the narrow landing, I opened the heavy door, closed it behind Jadyn, and was met by a scene that stopped me from moving forward.

It was _absolutely _a magical disaster.

Each of the seven doors leading to the dormitories were rotating at an incredibly fast pace. The doorknobs remained in place, but the doors flashed from one frame to another. The door leading to our dormitory was rapidly interchanging in no particular order. I could barely keep my eyes on a single one.

Something wasn't right. And, no, I didn't mean the fact that everything was topsy-turvy.

"Jade."

"Yes?" she answered in a faint voice from behind me.

"Check the door."

I heard her whip around, jiggle the doorknob connected to the room we came from, and turn around like I knew she would. "It's locked shut."

There was only one person to blame.

Turning around from the array of dizzying colors in front of me, I starting pounding on the door. I was utterly out of my mind. "James! James! This prank surely breaks one of the rules, I know it!"

I heard Jadyn's exasperated sigh from behind me. "Lily, it's no use. James isn't going to let you out for anything. Surrender, yes, but not anything else."

Jadyn was right; it _wa_s no use. James was probably relishing in the fact that he was hearing my frantic poundings and cries through the door. I turned around and faced her.

"_What_ are we going to _do_?" My voice came out sounding like a hysteric child's.

"Like I know," Jadyn said, pacing the corridor. For me, it was enough trouble saying on two feet, let alone walking.

"Maybe the actual contents aren't changing, only the doors," I thought out loud curiously.

"Good idea." Jadyn stopped at a door to her left, where our dormitory would have been. She grasped the knob and the rotating stopped on a golden door – the seventh year's. Even though the one door wasn't in motion, the others continued to switch and swap faster than it took to blink an eye.

"Try it!" I urged, and Jadyn clicked the knob, peered inside, and quickly shut it, wrinkling in nose, her eyes closed in disgust.

"Not our room. Now, quite frankly, I am less than eager to a be seventh year, and utterly scarred for life."

I sighed. That wasn't a misfortune that I'd wish on _anyone_. Well, on second thought, maybe James Potter – but he'd probably enjoy it.

"Got a wand?"

Jadyn shook her head. "No. Left it in the dorm. You?"

"Not a chance."

I could've sworn I heard Jadyn mutter under her breath, "Damn that Sirius."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. A major – and when I say major, I mean _major_ – headache coming on. "Well, what do we do now?"

"Break down the door?"

"No."

"Send an angry flock of owls to break it down for us?"

"Jadyn."

"_Or_, maybe we could get a wild pack of hippogriffs _and_ an angry flock of owls – "

"_Jadyn_!"

"_What_?"

"We'd be breaking the rules."

She cocked her head in thought, then realization dawned on her face. "Oh. Right. No unwilling living things hurt in prank." She sat down against the single locked door to freedom and set down her pile of books and parchment.

"Yes. Right. Looks like there's only one way out."

She groaned, "Right."

"We've got to get into our dormitory."

Silence.

"Jadyn,"

"_Right_! It's going to be a lot of work, though. Can't we just get out the easy way? Bang on the door and hope for someone to come for us?"

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, and give James and Sirius the satisfaction of hearing our pleas and cries to be rescued? No way. Stand in front of one door. When you think you see our red door, put your hand on the knob to stop it. Got it?"

Jadyn reluctantly stood up and went in front of a doorway on the right. "Ready, Lily?"

Like I'd ever be ready when it came to dealing with this stupid war.

"Fine." I faced in front of another door. The colors swirled around, revolving so fast that they blended together.

Jadyn brought her hand down upon the doorknob, and it stopped. "I've got blue. Darn."

I slowly and carefully touched the light metal of the revolving door, and it stopped. The metal was cool under my fingers, calming my frantic, tingling nerves. "Green."

"Blue again."

"Purple."

"Yellow."

It continued on like that for a while, grabbing and releasing the doorknob to hopefully stop the red door in its fast-paced tracks. The corridor was giving me a serious headache, with all of its dizzying effects. Our calls of colors were exhausted and out of breath, losing all hope of ever getting out of this prank without forfeiting.

And trust me, I'd rather go to hell than forfeit to James Potter.

"Gold. Again. That's the fifth time." Jadyn sighed heavily. "I think that door will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Purple." I released my hand and quickly clamped it down on the doorknob again, determined not to give up. "Blue."

"I've got white."

"White?" I asked.

"Yeah," Jadyn said, and started to release her hand, when I called out.

"Stop, Jade! Stop, freeze, something!"

She stopped her hand from moving, one finger touching the knob, freezing to give me a puzzled look. I stepped forward and studied the door. There were cracks in the creases, the plain wood showing through. I ran my hands along it, making sure it was real, while Jadyn kept her hand firmly on the knob.

"I'm pretty sure there's no white door in this hallway."

"Clearly, Lily, you've gone mad, because there's one right in front of me – "

"That's not what I'm talking about. Name the seven colors of doors in this hallway."

She cocked her head, tapping her hand on her head while holding the other firmly on the brass knob. "Well, there's the seventh year's gold one. And the sixth years have purple. We have red, year before is… blue, I think. And then third year is green. Second is yellow. And first is… black?"

I nodded my head. Jadyn had a good memory and mind when she needed to. "I thought so. There's no white door, is there?"

"Nope."

"So… what is the white door, then?"

Realization dawned on Jadyn's face like the rising sun outside. "Well, neither of us has gotten red, and we've got white a couple of times, and every other color was there…"

"Go ahead," I urged, and she eagerly tugged the knob and pushed the door open.

And I don't think my dormitory looked more inviting than at that moment.

I dashed in and collapsed on my maroon bed, thankful for the feathery drapes falling around me, thankful for the six beds aligned in two neat rooms, and thankful for the way the world didn't seem to be spinning in a thousand colors.

"Oh, my God! Fresh air!" Jadyn collapsed on her bed across from mine, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling. "I never thought I'd get out of there."

Jumping up, I grabbed my trunk out from under my bed, and yanked it open with a wide, jerking movement. I threw spare cloaks and skirts across the room. I didn't care whether there was a mess; I was only after one thing, and one thing only.

"Lily?" Jadyn asked, concerned, as a red and gold striped pair of socks hit her in the stomach.

"No talk," I ordered. "Look for your wand. We're going to get James and Sirius, and we're going to get them _good_."

* * *

**James's POV**

"How long have they been up there?" Peter asked, looking around for a clock.

I stretched farther out on the couch I was on. The exact same thing I was wondering. If Lily experienced a concussion because she collapsed from dizziness, I'd never forgive myself.

"An hour," Remus reported, scribbling on some Potions homework that wasn't due until next month.

"Really?" Sirius smirked, leaning back and resting his head on the cushion behind him. Probably relishing in the fact that he would surely tell Jadyn he snuck into her dormitory by flying a broomstick up to the window and searched her trunk for her knickers while placing the spell on the corridor. Which he really didn't – I would know.

A group of giggling girls burst through the portrait hole. I let Sirius handle them.

"I wouldn't go up there, if I were you." Sirius smirked as they stopped in their tracks, not even one foot on the first step to the dormitories.

A curly brunette with freckles that dotted her nose simply asked, "Why?"

Sirius cocked his head in thought. I knew he was thinking of a believable excuse – we had used about twenty good ones already. "Stink bomb," he finally replied. "Lots of stink bombs. In the corridor and dorms. Really, really bad."

The girls stared at him in horror, then quickly spun on their heels and trampled back out of the hole, pinching their noses in disgust.

Remus looked up for a second. "Nice one."

"Thanks. I _do_ have a way with words."

I sighed. Sirius was too conceited for his own good. "Do you think it's time to let them out?"

Sirius simply stared at me. "This is a _prank_, James! They can forfeit if they want. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they did – this was a pretty ingenious prank on your part, Moony."

"If you read a book once and a while, Padfoot, you'd be able to think of it too," Remus replied, not skipping a beat from scratching on that parchment.

I squirmed in my seat more than Peter did during an exam. "Are you sure? They've been quiet for the past ten minutes. Not a word…"

"James, you worry too much. We want sweat. We want tears. We want blood. We want a _victory_!"

I shook my head. "I'm not some heartless git like you, Sirius. I actually care for Lily."

"Still like her?" Peter asked from across the room.

I shrugged. I wasn't really comfortable sharing my feelings on Lily with the Marauders – especially when I myself wasn't sure what was going on. It was _really_ strange. Whenever I looked at another girl, I saw Lily in her place. Her stunning red hair, her sparkling green eyes… only Lily, and no one else.

Another girl – Mary Macdonald, I think she was – was strolling across the common room and halfway up the steps when I shouted, "Hey, don't go up there!"

She turned around, her brown hair whipping her face. "It's a prank, isn't it?"

I gaped at her. "What? No, of course not!"

She shrugged. "You don't have to lie. I know it is. Why else would you be keeping everyone out of the dormitories while letting Lily and Jadyn go right up?"

Sirius's expression matched mine: equally stunned. "Really, you're too smart."

Mary twisted around to face us. Her blue eyes were bright with excitement. "I'll let it slide, just this once. But next time? There's nothing stopping me from joining them."

And with that, she turned on her heel, marching back out of the portrait hole.

Remus spoke first. "That was… odd. Is she seriously going to help Lily and Jadyn?"

"I don't know," Sirius said. "But all I know is that if she joins forces with them, we're losing, even _with_ Moony on our side."

Only a few seconds later, I heard footsteps on the stairs. I whipped around, only to find Lily, her eyes livid and angry, glaring down at me. Jadyn followed behind, a concerned look on her face.

"So, I assume you found the prank?" I grinned. Her hair was stuck up in odd ends from running her hands through it too much, and she was shaking all over from exhaustion, her wand clutched in her clammy hand. She walked over and stood over me, her hair forming a halo around her perfect face.

"Yes," she said in a clipped voice. "You broke the rules, James! You utterly broke them!"

I furrowed my brow. "And how would that be so?"

"Many girls would have had to have come up those stairs and into that stupid corridor. And, as the rules go, any unwilling person taking place in the prank will lead to an automatic loss – "

A small smile tugged on the corners of my lips. "But, you see, I didn't. Did you notice Peter outside the portrait when you walked in? The Marauders and I sent any Gryffindor girls going to their dorms back to the Great Hall."

She stared at me and said in a flat voice, "So you had Peter lie. So you didn't break the rules."

"Nope."

"How _did_ you do that?" Jadyn suddenly asked. Lily whipped around, glaring. There was a burning curiosity under her voice.

"Oh, you know. A switching spell that we kept going. And the color change was simple transfiguration," Remus finished. What was he_ thinking_ giving that kind of information out? I simply stared at him. He shrugged sheepishly, continuing to work on homework.

Lily suddenly lifted her wand to above my head, the tip illuminated a dull green. "Now, I'll have to suggest the common room to clear out, because a murder is about to take place, and we can't have witnesses."

I shook my head, chuckling softly. "Dear Lily, you can't kill me. Then there would be no prank war if so."

She narrowed her eyes further, which I didn't even think was possible. "Fine. I'll just have to win fair and square then. I will make you wish – no, _beg_ – that you never started this war, James Potter. You may have won this battle, but you won't win the war."

I smirked. "I'm pretty sure I will."

"I think you won't."

"Fine then."

"Fine. Let the best woman win."

I heard Sirius snicker next to me, but I answered anyway. "Which will be me, of course."

"I'm late for class." Without so much of a wave, she pushed out of the portrait hole, Jadyn trailing behind her. I gazed across the Marauder's faces: Sirius was smirking, Remus's was focused on scribbling on his parchment, and Peter's brow was furrowed like always.

And me? I was grinning like a maniac.

Why? Because I was _winning_.

* * *

**A/N: Review, please!**


	6. Liar Liar

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter… yes. Seriously. I really don't. Or James and Lily wouldn't have died and therefore altered the course of the series forever!

**A/N:** Thanks to all my great reviewers! This story would not be here without y'all! But, sadly, I've been losing steam on this story. Should I continue? I know I'm pretty far in, six chapters, but if people don't seem to like it, then I don't really see the point in continuing.

Okay, **please read and review** and tell me what you think!

Oh, BTW, in case of confusion: the use of Veritaserum is only strictly controlled by the Ministry. Not illegal. Sorry!

* * *

The Ultimate Prank War

Chapter 6: Liar Liar

**Peter's POV**

My thighs were _killing_ me.

I had volunteered to spy on Lily and Jadyn to help James and Sirius. Even Moony had encouraged me to find out their upcoming prank, even though he denied having any interest in breaking the rules.

Oh, joy. Imagine if they caught me? I nearly break out in sweat every time, thinking the thought. Loss of prank war, letting down James, friendless for eternity…

"… about this one, Lils? It seems pretty good, pretty embarrassing." Jadyn's voice interrupted my thoughts. I pulled a couple more books out of their place on the library shelf in front of me, carefully pushing other hardbacks to the side.

I could see Lily sitting at one of the tables, her nose buried in a book, red hair hiding her face. Jadyn's arm shot into my range of sight, pushing a paperback towards Lily, bent and worn at the spine.

"See? What about this?" I heard Jadyn's voice, loud and clear.

Lily's green eyes scanned the page quickly, an exasperated look taking over her features. "A permanent stunning spell? Activated by cupcakes? Are you _serious_?"

"Well, fine then. If you don't like my ideas, after a whole _thirty-three_ of them – "

"I do, Jadyn. Sorry, it's just that I'm a little tense." As Lily spoke, she flipped another thin page in the huge volume in front of her. "After searching for a whole two hours…"

Yes, two hours. Two hours I had to squat in this corner in the library, my legs on fire. I gritted my teeth to keep a squeak of pain from escaping my lips. Any loud noise would be a dead-giveaway at the least. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying to steady myself.

It was hard not moving, harder than anyone would think. I wondered how the people in those still muggle frames could handle it.

"… _Merlin_!"

Lily's shriek of surprise brought me back to the present, away from my thoughts. I hastily stumbled, trying to shove more books out of the way to get a good look at her. Two heavy hard covers crashed down on my foot, and I bit back a cry.

Oh, how I hated pain. But disappointment from my friends was always worse.

"What? What is it, Lily?" I heard rather than saw the urgent scrape of Jadyn's chair and the fast paced steps around the library table.

"Look, look at that! Just look!"

"Where?"

"There!"

"There?"

"No, no, no! Jadyn, Jade, just look. _Look_. It's right _there_."

"That one? But isn't it a little… weak?"

Lily snorted and quickly closed the book. "C'mon, Jade. This prank is great. The perfect thing to get James back."

"And Sirius."

"Right. Because, seriously, think about it, what's more perfect than replacing James's real wand with a fake? You know we have that big exam today, and this would be the perfect way to sabotage his chance at good grades."

My eyes widened. They couldn't – no, _wouldn't_ – take away the one thing that was most important to them from their enemy? I leaned closer, straining to catch their softly spoken words. My head didn't exactly neatly fit into the small library shelf.

"… have to wait until next Hogsmeade trip." I drifted back to the present – I _really_ needed to stop daydreaming. Lily hung her head in defeat, closing the book. It emitted a small puff of dust that wafted my way. I pinched my nose to keep from sneezing.

Jadyn flicked her blue-streaked hair over her shoulder. "I suppose I could owl my older brother and he can get us one. He can live without Apparating home from Gringotts for one day."

I leaned in closer. My legs were screaming for relief, but I couldn't give into to their demands at the moment. I needed to listen to every detail of the prank, needed to be able to tell James what was –

"Doing something here?"

That voice sounded_ way_ too close to be from across a bookshelf.

I whipped around, prepared to stumble a few words and make a dash for the door, when I realized who was in front of me.

Mary Macdonald.

I could feel my self-confidence dipping; it would be only a matter of time before she hexed me into oblivion. What had she said last time she caught us pranking Lily?

_But next time? There's nothing stopping me from joining them._

Her words echoed over and over in my head, bouncing around as I stared with wide eyes at the person who said them. My chest felt like it was going to close up.

Forget about my damn legs. It was my _lungs_ I needed to worry about.

"W-what?" I stumbled, tripping over the books piled at my feet much like I was with my words.

"You're spying on them, aren't you?" she asked hesitantly, taking a step forward over the books.

"N-n-no," I whispered, the stumble exposing my lie. I tried to keep my voice at a low level. If Lily and Jadyn found out…

"James sent you, right?" Mary's voice took on a harsher note, one that was completely opposite to her previous tone. I stumbled back, thinking of how fairies appeared to be nice and harmless in muggle storybooks, but, in reality, they weren't. Oh, how the muggles were wrong. They were always wrong.

"I-I have to go," I mumbled, pushing past her. Only when I reached the archway leading into the corridor did I look back to see Mary with a murderous look on her face, separated from the deep conversation of Lily and Jadyn by a bookshelf.

Ducking my head, I took off in a sprint down the corridor, huffing up the stairs and bursting through the Great Hall doors and over to the Gryffindor table. The sky was gray and dreary, lightly drizzling. I shivered, thinking of how this could be seen as an omen for the earlier encounter.

I saw James waving me over, an eager look on his face, so I took my usual seat next to Remus. My hands were quivering at my sides, and I shoved them under my legs to avoid giving my emotions away.

It seemed as if my presence was eagerly waited for.

"Did you find out their prank?"

"What complicated magic will I have to perform on James to protect him _this_ time?"

"Was the little bitch with Lily?"

I whimpered a little, covering my ears. "Could you repeat them one at a time, please?"

It seems Sirius was eager to get his question answered. "So, were they together, working on the prank?"

"Yes. But…" I trailed off, chewing on the ends of my fingernails. A nervous habit of mine.

"But?"

"Mary Macdonald showed up and caught me. Please don't be mad!"

But it was too late. Sirius inhaled a lungful of air, Remus's fork clattered to his plate, and James's shining hazel eyes seemed to extinguish. My stupid mouth and unawareness!

"Mary? She caught you spying on Lily and Jadyn?" James managed to choke out. "_After_ she threatened to join them if she caught us pranking them so openly one more time?"

I nodded my head, keeping my eyes on the empty golden plate in front of me.

Sirius shifted on the bench. "Well, there goes any hope of winning the war."

"Padfoot, you're forgetting something," James said. "We have the advantage."

"We do?"

"Yes, we do. Peter, you figured out the prank they're going to pull on us, right?"

I nodded my head furiously, _finally_ happy to help.

* * *

**Jadyn's POV**

"Ready?" Lily whispered, nudging my elbow.

So, maybe this wasn't our best plan. It was only exactly one day after the revolving door prank – how much of a mess that had been to clean up, explaining to the seventh years why their knob was full of greasy fingerprints and magical residue – and we were at the Great Hall in the morning, bending over a pitcher of pumpkin juice.

"I don't know…" I bit my lip. My reflection was facing me in the clear liquid contained in glass vial I was holding.

"Just put it in, Jadyn," Lily hissed at me. "_You_ were the one who insisted since your brother got it for you. Now dump it in!"

Really, we _are_ friends.

Slowly, I uncapped the vial of Veritaserum and watched it drip down the sides, landing with a plopping noise into the pumpkin juice. I knew it if this was for Sirius Black, I'd pour it in a heartbeat, but for James Potter? It seemed… I don't know. Maybe, wrong?

As soon as the last drop dripped in, Lily eagerly wrenched the pitcher away from my hands and, with a flick of her wand, made the mixture stir. It swirled around and around like a hurricane, although my stomach felt more like one than the mixture ever would.

I glanced over my shoulder to see the Marauders strut into the Great Hall. My eyes met Sirius's, and I narrowed mine to match his equally slit gray ones. Behind me, I whispered to Lily without breaking eye contact, "They're here. Finish up."

In a millisecond, I was sitting down on the bench, Lily across from me, both of us acting natural as the Marauders sauntered up and sat down a few feet away. I crossed and uncrossed my legs. The pudding prank a few weeks ago did nothing to make me feel guilty. But now? Maybe because it was deliberate, an intentional war, my guilt was finally bubbling up.

"Hey, Lils!" James shouted from down the table. "Got any pranks planned for today?"

I froze, blood stopping in my veins_. How had he known?_ But once I saw him make a motion for the pumpkin juice in the middle of the table, I realized they still had no idea.

After all, when we heard the collision and saw Peter leave yesterday, Mary Macdonald, one of the smartest girls in our year, dashed over from behind the shelf next to us.

"Lily, Jadyn," she said, taking a seat across from us. "You've got a spy."

"A spy?" Lily asked. We didn't really know Mary that well, other than the fact that her and Lily competed for top grades day by day. We didn't know if we could trust her at the time.

"Peter Pettigrew? Heard of him?" Her blue-eyed gaze met mine.

"Yeah, we have," Lily said. "He was spying on us?"

"More like attempting to spy. The little guy's too scared. He just dashed out of here, afraid to face us. He heard every detail of your prank, so I advise you change it now."

"Done," I agreed, not allowing Lily to put in any input.

She simply gaped at me. "Jade, we don't have a backup."

"That's not the point, is it?"

"I don't care what you guys do," Mary interrupted, tossing her brown hair over her shoulders, "but sack this prank. Do something else. Just beat James, beat the Marauders. Trust me, it'd make every person in this entire school happy to see them defeated just once."

And with that, she stood up and walked out on us, her book bag slung over her shoulder, conversation forgotten. It was a safe bet to say if we asked her again, she would deny it ever happened.

So, we continued searching for pranks, only to come across one with Veritaserum.

_Insert the Veritaserum into a liquid and drink. Effects will take place immediately. Automatic truth telling. Warning: Side effects may include extreme embarrassment and/or scarring for life._

It seemed perfect, exactly what Lily wanted. We knew the Marauders knew about the wand prank, so this seemed like a surprising prank on their end. I owled my brother and sent back a small bottle of Veritaserum for us. I've always been on rather friendly terms with my older brother Jeramie, and he was happy to help us squash the Marauders to the ground.

And so, the morning after the encounter with Mary, our newest prank was about to unfold.

I let out a sigh of relief. The war was changing, and most of the school seemed to be on our side, as Mary had said.

But the Marauders didn't know that.

"Oh, yes, pranks? We do," Lily said, playing along with James's friendly conversation. "We've got a really good one coming."

"I doubt that." James smirked.

"I don't."

"Good to know."

"Yes, very good."

"Anything involving… oh, I don't know, a wand?"

"Not likely."

"Yeah, right."

"Right."

I sighed. It was always like this these days. The prank war was making them friendly enemies, scarier than real ones. Their conversations were full of tricks and puzzles, and someone hearing from the outside looking in would have thought they were crazy.

As James started pouring the pumpkin juice, Lily whipped around to face the other side of the table and beckoned a few girls – undoubtedly from the James Potter and Sirius Black Fan Club – down the bench. They squealed and practically clung to Lily and me for allowing them such close access to the sex gods themselves.

Ha! As if Sirius resembled a sex god.

"Watch this," Lily whispered to the group, and they squealed again.

I turned around in my seat, trying to get away from the girl with blond hair and eyes practically popping out of her head seated next to me, only to come face to face with Sirius. He was sitting right next to me, a good foot away from the rest of the Marauders.

"What are you doing?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

I glanced over his right shoulder at Remus, far down the bench. He continued on eating, as if nothing was wrong. I caught Lily's eye out of the corner of mine, and she jerked her head towards James. He was taking the first sip of the pumpkin juice, yet Sirius was still blocking my full view.

"Move, Black," I grunted, placing my hands on his stone hard chest and shoving. He didn't budge, unmoving like the piles of bricks that were his brain.

"That ready for bed, are you, Greenfold?" His face broke into a mocking grin.

"Just move your bloody hard chest." I shoved harder, managing to get him only a fraction of an inch away from me.

"Perfect!" I turned across the table to face Lily, grinning like a maniac and staring at James with a hungry look in her eyes. James, on the other hand, looked like he had seen a ghost. Which, in fact, would be a pretty accurate guess in this school. His hazel eyes were glassed over, and he was staring straight ahead. "Jadyn, the test question?"

Lily's eager gaze turned to me. Sirius was still sitting next to me, completely dumbstruck, just staring at his best friend. "James Potter, do you or do you not have detention tonight for Professor Flitwick with Lily Evans?" I said.

"I do. And I can't wait for it." The voice was emotionless and forced, his gaze facing towards the Slytherin table across the room. The girls to the left of me started snickering. Just as Lily wanted.

"James?" Peter squeaked from next to him.

Lily pulled out a piece of parchment from the pocket of her robes. It was the list of questions to ask James under Veritaserum. The Fan Club girls next to us let out a squeal of excitement. This James, enchanted by a potion, seemed to be the hottest one yet.

"Jadyn… what did you do?"

I wouldn't turn to Sirius and tell him. There was shock laden in his voice, and I knew exactly the types of questions that were coming. I already felt guilty enough, and someone, especially Sirius, didn't need to tell me twice.

"James," Lily said in a loud voice, attracting the attention of everyone around her, "have you ever felt guilty about pranking me, Lily Evans?"

"Of course," he answered in that same voice. "Every time."

"Even before you even knew me? When I was just that scared little first year that loved books?"

"A little. It wasn't as strong as it is now."

"When's your next prank going to be?"

I saw the ends of the tablecloth bunch up in his hands. "As soon as I get the chance."

"What's your next prank going to be?"

Sirius was stiff beside me, staring at James in a desperate way. Remus was gone, probably to try to find an antidote, and Peter was looking on in horror. Groups of students had turned their heads, food abandoned, to see James Potter under the spell of Veritaserum. It was only a matter of time before the teachers found out what was happening, and I tried to signal to Lily we had to hurry up and finish.

"I haven't decided, but we've been tossing ideas back and forth," James continued.

"Such as?"

I could see the clench of James's jaw, his teeth probably gritting. "Sabotaging your grade."

Lily's gaze was fierce now. Nothing mattered more to her than schoolwork, and that was the one thing James was planning on tampering with. "How bad do you think you want to win, James?"

"Fairly bad."

Lily raised one single eyebrow. "Fairly bad?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I wouldn't mind too much if you won."

The group of girls beside me let out a romantic sigh, biting back their growls of jealousy. I wanted to shift farther away from their chatter and everyone else, but the brick wall beside me kept that from happening. He still hadn't moved from that position – perhaps preventing me from causing any more damage?

Lily, on the other hand, looked appalled. I remember her reviewing this question with me, expecting his answer.

"He'll certainly want to win, incredibly bad," she had said. "I'll have fun torturing him, asking him things he'd rather do than lose for me."

But, with this statement, it was all lost. She had no idea what to say, except for the one at the bottom of the parchment written in a hasty grabble for questions. I silently warned her with my eyes not to ask, but she needed to know. I could see it in her eyes. We all needed to know.

"Do you like me, James Potter?" Lily asked, her voice merely a small whisper. But James heard her nonetheless.

"Yes."

The group of fan girls beside me slunk back to their position at the end of the table, huffing and puffing at being turned down. Sirius gave me one last glare, his eyes full of disappointment, before sliding back to the Marauders, where Remus had finally returned with a newly made antidote.

Lily was still staring at James, her jaw dropped and slack.

"Lily," I whispered as the voices in the room picked up again. "Lily, are you OK?"

"I had no idea," she whispered back, finally turning to face me. "Well, I did, but I chose to ignore it."

"That he liked you?"

"I thought it was just a rumor."

I shook my head sadly in Lily's direction. Sometimes, my best friend could be so oblivious. How did she not know by now?

"It wasn't just a rumor, Lily. You should know that those aren't as fake as they seem anymore."


	7. Blue Rainbows

**Disclaimer:** I own nada in the Harry Potter series.

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. Well, enjoy this chapter! Don't forget to give me some feedback, I'd certainly appreciate it, since I decided I'm just going to go ahead and continue this story.

Also, I have to give some credit to **Lunatikk** for the inspiration for James's prank. Thanks! :D

* * *

The Ultimate Prank War

Chapter 7: Blue Rainbows

**James's POV**

"This is all _your_ bloody fault."

"My fault? How is it _my_ fault?"

I glared at the redheaded beauty seated diagonally across the room from me. Of course, I could never _really_ glare at her. It was more of a pained grimace. I could never really be mad at her because I, in all actuality, really like Lily.

And, apparently, the whole school knows it now. Thanks to that damn prank.

"If you hadn't of caused that stupid hurricane," I continued, "then we wouldn't be in this situation, would we?"

I could feel Lily's short-ended temper flaring up at me like a furnace. "Of course we would! You caused a thunderstorm too, you know! It's absolutely your whole bloody fault!"

"Fine, it's both our faults, OK?" I really hated arguing with Lily. Especially when we were supposed to be keeping quiet in detention. Professor Flitwick hadn't assigned us anything to do, since he was in a hurry and completely forgot about detention, but had one request: "Just sit there and get along, OK?" Not that I ever followed the rules or anything, but I didn't have the best temper at the moment.

Why? Well, to start, I was at a disadvantage in the prank war. Lily had used the Veritaserum to spill out all of the Marauders' secrets about upcoming pranks. That strong potion had taken a total control of my senses, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. It was a strong spell that, for once, had nothing to do with a wand.

And, secondly, I was embarrassed. Think about it for a second. I was the heartthrob of Hogwarts, untouchable, perfect reputation for not being caught surprised. Unlike the pudding incident, people were _expecting_ something to happen. They were expecting the Marauders to do something great, expecting us to have a way to avoid everything.

But it didn't happen. All because Peter ran into bloody Mary Macdonald.

How's that for karma?

"Fine," Lily said in a clipped tone. "Let's just finish out the detention in peace."

"Good with me," I grumbled. Come to think of it, I was in a _really_ bad mood if I was grumbling at the love of my life.

Which is the strangest part of all. I could only see Lily Evans in my mind, and no other girl. Whenever I wanted to ask someone out, her disapproving expression popped in front of my eyes – not at asking a girl out, of course, just out of annoyance at me – and I quickly turned the other way. I don't know what spell she had me under, but it was a pretty strong one.

But of course, silence never seemed to last with a questioning Evans in the room. "What you said… under the Veritaserum, I mean. Did… did you mean it?"

"No, of course not, you got a cup of false Veritaserum and I lied my way through the whole thing."

Apparently, my sarcasm was wasted on her.

"Yes, of course, Lily. I meant every word. How strong was that damn potion, anyway?"

"Pretty strong," I heard her mutter from behind me.

"Exactly. I told the honest truth, Lily, like it or not."

There was a stretching silence in the air, which seemed very uncommon for a curious Lily. She was always asking questions about everything, but my answer seemed to block the heavy flow of them.

I twisted in my seat, turning to face her. She was biting her lip, seeming to fight another question she was going to ask. I raised my eyebrows, and she said, "Even the part about… about you liking me?"

"Yes, Lily. I like you a lot. A whole lot." I smiled a little, trying to show her I was completely sincere. She seemed to believe me, but didn't smile back.

"It… doesn't seem real."

"Well, believe it, because it's true."

She nodded her head silently, and I mentally thanked Professor Flitwick for taking our wands as I asked the next question.

"So… go out with me? Hogsmeade? Next weekend?"

"You're still the enemy," she said, smiling a little but rolling her beautiful green eyes all the while.

"You know, the whole enemies-fall-in-love thing. Romeo and Juliet?"

"You read Shakespeare?" Lily asked me with a bemused expression.

I nodded my head. "Of course." In all honesty, I liked old English literature. Padfoot was constantly trying to pry the books from my hands, labeling any type of reading as 'sinful'.

"You _read_?"

I scowled. We were back to our normal ways. But why wasn't it fine with me? "When the prank war is over?"

"Not on your life, Potter."

"Right, Evans. Heard you loud and clear."

* * *

**Sirius's POV**

"Greenfold! Oi, wait up!"

Jadyn turned her head to look at me. Damn, did she look good! I mean, come _on_. Any guy had to admit Jadyn was pretty hot in an exotic kind of way. With the streaks in her hair that accented her eyes and quick-witted personality, she was a force to be reckoned with.

And the best part? She totally wanted me. She just didn't know it yet.

But too bad she was a bitch half of the time.

I quickened my pace to fall into step with her and poked her in the arm. James had sent me on this mission, to distract Jadyn while he pulled the latest prank. And so what if I was going to have a little fun with my task? Could he blame me?

Jadyn glared a little, her blue eyes sending one disbelieving glance to my face. "Go away, Black. I can't exactly deal with you at the moment."

"Why? Distracted by someone?"

"Not really. Just… homesick." She gave me a little half-smile – they looked quite nice on her, if she actually smiled at me for once, the little ungrateful witch – and turned her gaze forward again.

"Homesick?"

"For home. You know that, Sirius Black. Or are you dumber than you look?"

"Very funny, Greenfold. But you've been going to this school for a while. I mean, only the _first years_ get homesick anymore."

She shot me a glare for my mocking remarks. "I'm not talking about home in England, Black."

"What bloody home could you be talking about then?"

Her gaze was chastising. But, come on, seriously. She liked me. _Really_. "Home for me is back in the United States. Didn't you notice my accent after five years?"

I stared at her with a blank face. Honestly, all in all, I didn't really care much about ethnicity or anything. I was doing my best to forget my own heritage at the moment. And plus, when I was snogging a girl, who cared how she talked? Just what she looked like was all that mattered to me.

But, by the way Jadyn stared fiercely at me, it seemed like normal people noticed stuff like that. Dammit.

"Sort of," I lied. "You see, I've never been great with languages."

"Obviously, by your ability to speak the only one you ever knew with limited vocabulary."

I pouted a little. "Don't blame me for being close-minded. I just… never got around to anything strange like that."

She was losing interest – I could tell it in her eyes. James would be furious if I let her spoil his newest prank, so I resorted to desperate measures.

"You _so_ want me, Greenfold."

Her blue eyes seemed to bug out of her head, and she stopped dead in the middle of the corridor. "What the hell?"

I was beginning to think American accents were hotter every second. Man, did she make them sound good.

"You want me." I shrugged. "But it's OK, you know. Because practically every other girl in the school does. Why should that make you any different?"

Her face was red with rage. The one thing I had learned about Jadyn Greenfold, if anything in all these years, is that she hated being everyone else. She loved being unique and different, and seemed to murder anyone who said different.

Looks like I was on top of her hit list today. Goody, goody!

"Black, listen. I don't know what kind of sick universe you live in where I don't hate you and you don't hate me," she started, and I was moving back up against the wall. All in honesty, she was really, _really_ scaring me at the moment. "But I certainly as _hell_ do not want you."

"OK, chill out, Greenfold!" I removed her pointed finger from my chest, although I couldn't help but wonder why she had gotten so incredibly worked up over one silly comment. It was just a conversation starter, anyway. More like a placeholder to bide James some time. "Can we keep walking? I'm sure you have some work to do to keep from failing."

"We? _I_ will continue down this hallway. _You_, Black, will stumble back to whatever hole you crawled from and stay there." With that, she turned on her heel and started down the corridor again.

"Hey, hey, hey, that wasn't very nice," I said, running to catch up with her again. "You could have at least had a pleasant parting word or two."

"That was pleasant."

"Pleasant? I doubt it."

"You want to hear my worst?"

"No, thanks," I muttered. Why couldn't James have sent Moony or Wormtail to distract her? Jadyn certainly got along a lot better with them than, say, me.

_You caused it, you know_, that annoying little voice known as a conscience – Moony told me I had one _somewhere_ in the cobwebs of my mind – said in the back of my head. Most of the time, it kept quiet, but now? Not so much. Probably because Jadyn brought it out. She brought a lot of things out in the open lately, like our pranks yesterday.

"So… where are you heading?"

"Nowhere," she answered curtly as she turned down into the third floor corridor.

"Nowhere isn't an accurate statement, I think."

"You know, why can't you just bug off?" Jadyn suddenly whipped on me, her eyes livid and unpredictable. "You've been following me for like, half an hour now, and it's really annoying! Go snog some girl."

"No, no, no," I said. Sirius Black did not just _snog_ girls. I _did_ have excellent taste in the looks department. Brains? Not so much. But why did a girl need them when making out with _me_? "I don't just pick any girl."

Jadyn started walking again, while I just stood there. Screw tracking her – I was _deeply_ offended. "Oh, really? Then what girls _do_ you pick?"

"Girls that don't go around leaving me standing in the middle of a corridor!"

I don't know what prompted me to say it – hell, was I even aware of _half_ the stuff that left my mouth? – but she was about to open her mouth and respond with Merlin knows _what_ when I heard a high-pitched cackling.

And it could only signal one thing.

"Oh, Sirie, old dearie! Up to distracting antics, are we? Peevsie knows, Blackie, Peevsie knows!"

"Shut up and bug off, you transparent poltergeist," I grumbled up to the ceiling where Peeves was hovering. Jadyn, on the other hand, was staring up at Peeves with a curious look on her face. One that seemed way, _way_ too curious for her own good. Or anyone else's good, for that matter.

Peeves's grin became only more widespread, and it looked like his pasty skin was going to rip in two. Not that I would mind, the evil prick. "Oh, Blackie doesn't want me revealing anything, now does he?"

"Peeves," Jadyn intervened, and I gave her a look. A look that hopefully conveyed that she better tell him to freak off or I was going to do her some bodily damage. She obviously didn't see it, since she went on with, "What exactly does Mr. Black here not want revealed?"

"Just that I saw someone, Potty wee Potter, riding up on his ratty ol' broomstick to the girls' dormitory. Naughty, naughty, naughty little ickle friend you've got there, Blackie!"

I was purposefully grunting and making distracting noises throughout Peeves's whole dialogue, but it was way too late. The realization of James working on a prank dawned on Jadyn, and the first thing she did was spit, "You dirty little _git_, Sirius Black!" and then dart the other way, heading towards who-knows-where.

What I couldn't figure out was why her voice cracked on 'git'.

Instead, I just glared up at the evil little ghost above me when Jadyn's footsteps finally faded away. "Thanks a lot, dearest Peevsie."

"Don't mention it, wee little Sirius Blackie." And then he took off into the ceiling, cackling the evil laughter I'd suddenly learned to loathe.

* * *

**Lily's POV**

I stepped out of the bathtub, reaching for a towel. Getting up early to take my baths was a great idea. The prefects' bathroom was never occupied, and I got to spend as much time in there – thus away from James – as possible.

The rest of the detention last night hadn't been that terrible, nonetheless. We had simply sat there talking – well, mostly James asking me out and me rejecting – until Professor Flitwick had come back in and dismissed us. We had tried to look bored and upset like people in detention should have, but it was incredibly hard.

Now, after a good night's sleep, I was ready to face the day, despite the fact that James was still probably planning a prank as I bathed. Which was a very, very bad thing. He was definitely looking to get me good this time around. The Veritaserum had caused school wide mortification, and he was looking to do exactly the same to me.

Suddenly, there was some frantic pounding. I whipped around to face the door to the bathroom. Obviously, _someone_ needed an explanation on bathroom curtsey.

"Lily! Lily! Merlin, Lily, I know you're there, so open up!"

I immediately recognized Jadyn's voice and, making sure the towel was tightly wrapped around me, opened the door.

"Lily, you – Oh, Merlin. _No_."

As soon as her eyes set foot on me, they opened up wide and she was just openly gaping now.

"What? Do I have dirt on my face? Honestly, I just took a bath." I headed over to the many mirrors set in the grand bathroom I was in…

And stopped dead in my tracks. Because I wasn't even sure if I was looking at me anymore.

"It's… a little more than dirt," Jadyn said, but I couldn't really hear her.

Because my hair was rapidly changing colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and back again. Over and over and over. My beautiful dark red hair was seven different shades in a matter of one second. Then the cycle would start over again. It was fading in and out of the colors, changing every single second. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was a Metamorphmagus.

"Is this what you were going to warn me about?" I asked in a faint voice. This didn't seem real – at _all_. My hair… ruined… by James _bloody_ Potter…

"Sort of. Peeves said he saw James by our dorm. Must've switched your shampoo to color-changing stuff." Jadyn was right next to me with a mirrored expression of shock.

I sighed loudly, as exasperated as one could sound when their anger was bubbling up. "So, got any plans to get 'em back?"

"Nope," Jadyn replied.

And we just watched my hair change colors like it was Christmas bulbs, thinking of how dead James Potter would be with our next prank.

* * *

**A/N:** I'd really appreciate a review from you :)


	8. Realize

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter… nope… tee hee!

**A/N:** Umm… sorry for the late update. I think tomorrow will be two months since I last did. Sorry! And, right here, I want to thank all my reviewers for the last chapter (8 of you!!). Yes, I mean **Someone aka Me**, **Lunatikk**, **soar2survive**, **MegaMegan**, **Coco96**, **GiddyGirlie**, **dracoluveralanna** and **Silver15Rose**. This chapter's for you! :D

* * *

The Ultimate Prank War

Chapter 8: Realize

**Lily's POV**

"Go away!"

I buried my head further into a towel, which was clearly an expression that said I wasn't interested in talking, but that knocking kept on. It was obvious who was recklessly knocking on the bathroom door, who wanted to get into the prefects' bathroom to see me, who wouldn't stop for one bloody second to know I really didn't want to talk to him – at _all_.

James Potter.

"Please, Lily, just let me in?" he called through the door, begging. I was curled in the corner of the bathroom about an hour after Jadyn and I had seen the effects of the latest prank. I spent the rest of the morning washing my hair out, hoping for a change, but that stupid color-changing shampoo wouldn't leave my hair. It was permanently stained.

And that left me no choice but to curl up in a ball and wait until classes were over for the day. Because there was no way I was facing the whole school with a rainbow head, no matter how much Jadyn said it wasn't noticeable. No. Way. In. _Hell_.

"Lily… just open up. I have a proposal." James jiggled the knob, and I glared at it.

"If I open up, will you leave when I tell you to?"

"Yes, but only if you hear me out!"

Reluctantly, I stood up and made my way over to the door, straightening the robe wrapped around me. I turned the still knob, opened the door wide open, and came face to face with James, who wore a smirk on his face as soon as he got one good glimpse at my hair. "Nice locks, huh? Wow, the shampoo really did work!"

I gripped the door harder and tried to slam it in his face, but he stuck his toe in the crack. "Are you just going to stand there making fun of my hair and basking in your glorious prank, or should I crush your foot right now?"

He held up his hands in surrender and wedged his way inside the bathroom around me. "Just curious as to how it turned out." James walked in a small circle, admiring the fancy stone framework and millions of knobs to the bath that ruined my life. All thanks to him.

"What do you want, James?" I asked in an exasperated voice. Because, here was my worst enemy saying he needed to talk to me, and yet, he was just being arrogant and a prick about it. What else was new?

He turned back to me after staring into the soapy water of the humongous bathtub, fixed his hazel eyes on my green, and honestly asked, "Do you want me to forfeit?"

Um, _what_?

I could only stare at him. Because why on _earth_ would he ask me if he should forfeit… so I'd win? I thought he cared about his pride so bloody much that he'd never lose, would never ever give up willingly, without a fight. Yet, here he was, asking to give up all of that and fork it over to me.

That was so… nice.

It couldn't be coming from the same James Potter that hexed first years for fun, repeatedly ridiculed Severus Snape, and infuriated me so much… could it?

"Seriously?" I asked with an incredulous look on my face.

James shrugged. "Sure. I mean, you won't even come out of the bathroom because of this prank." He gestured to my color-changing hair, which was currently a shade of deep violet.

I sighed. I could totally go for the whole 'let-James-forfeit-so-I-win' thing. But, something was standing in my way. Something…

Right. My _own_ pride.

I wanted to beat James fair and square, and forfeiting wouldn't do that. No, it wouldn't. It would just make me as much of as loser as James was. And I didn't want to be a loser. I wanted to brag, I wanted to be the best, I wanted to stomp my opponent into the ground.

Letting James give up wouldn't do that.

"Thanks… James. If you're serious and everything. Because I don't know why you offered or anything, and it's kind of freaking me out that you did in the first place. I'm always so mean, and I thought winning means as much to you as it does to me."

James gestured with his hand to continue, so I took a deep breath and went on.

"But… I can't let you forfeit to let me win. I know that you know that I want to win fair and square, and so do you. So… nope. You can't. But thanks anyway."

He nodded his head once, understanding, and then smirked. Back to the old James Potter that I knew and… well, not liked. "So, it's still on, then?"

I was pretty sure a smug look was plastered on my face when I answered with, "Oh, yes. It is still very much on. You better watch your back, Potter, because I'm coming back with twice the force."

He smiled, a genuine one that I'd seen him give the Marauders. "Fine then."

And James crossed the room, pulling at a lock of my hair as he passed. He closed the door behind him, leaving me standing in a robe in the middle of the prefects' bathroom.

Stunned.

* * *

**Jadyn's POV**

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Nope. You?"

"Of course not, Jade. Why would I ask you if I did?"

"OK, then. Sorry, Lils."

We were at our wit's end. Completely and irreversibly exhausted from this prank war. It was nighttime in the Gryffindor common room, and we were hidden behind two Transfiguration books pulled together. Well, actually, Lily was hidden. I was merely talking to her behind the wall of books. But that's not the point.

We had absolutely no more books to look through, no more ideas swirling around in our minds, and no more creativity whatsoever for a big enough prank to get James back.

I was convinced we were going to lose, and _badly_. Lily would barely even show her face these days, trying to keep a bunch of friends to cover her, or her hair flipped up into the hood of her cloak every minute. James told us it would wear off in around a couple of days, and the color changings were already getting a lot slower and starting to have a reddish tinge to them.

But still, Lily's hair was different colors.

And for that, she wouldn't leave her book-y cocoon.

Lily sighed and leaned forward on the desk, putting her head closer to mine. "I know we can think of something. I just _know_ we can."

"Yes, but we don't have anything so far," I pointed out, sending a cursory glance around the room. "Should we ask for help?"

Lily's jaw dropped, and she stared at me with disbelief clearly etched into her face. "You actually think that we need help? Seriously?"

"It's just a suggestion," I muttered, sitting up straighter and scanning the common room – my job. Ever since James had offered to forfeit, Lily wanted to keep an even closer eye on everything – or, rather everyone – around her. She was convinced James was simply trying to psyche her out for his next prank. Or so she told me.

There were only two fourth years in the corner, a group of sixth and seventh years bent over books and parchment on the couches nearby, and a bunch of mixed years playing in a tournament of Exploding Snap. Nobody suspicious.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so… you know. Angry. All the time. But we really can't trust anyone," Lily said, an apologetic look on her face. She looked like she truly meant it, so, thinking the water was safe for now, I held up one finger with a brilliant idea.

"There's one person I'm pretty sure we can trust," I said. "Mary Macdonald."

Lily snorted and flipped her multi-colored hair over her shoulder. It was practically giving me a headache just looking at it. "Jadyn. C'mon. Mary? You think we can trust her?"

"She tipped us off about James's spy," I continued, "and she offered to help just the other day."

"Since when?" Lily asked. And I didn't blame her for not knowing. Because it was only a couple days ago that Mary had caught up with me when I was racing to the prefects' bathroom to warn Lily.

I remember racing through the halls, just fresh with the news about James's new prank directly from Peeves, when another pair of footsteps fell in beat with mine. When I turned my head to my right, Mary was staring at me with curiosity in her wide, blue eyes.

"Uh, hey," I had said. "Sorry, I can't exactly talk too much at the moment, I'm kind of in a – "

"James pulled another prank, didn't he?"

And I stopped in my tracks, gaping at her, with my mouth practically open to the ground and everything. "How did you know?"

She shrugged and said, "Let's just say that James isn't the most observant person in the world."

When I just kept staring at her – I wasn't dumb, I just didn't see what she was getting to – she continued with, "James went through the window of the fifth years' dormitory, and me, being the light sleeper I am, was awakened by it. I noticed him coming in and hid under my bed while everyone else in the dorm, including you, slept. He had no idea I was watching him pour shampoo into Lily's bottle out of the corner of my eye."

That had sounded exactly like what Peeves told me, so she couldn't have been lying.

"I am on my way to tell Lily," Mary continued, "but obviously so are you. Would you do the honors?"

I nodded my head once, jaw set and ready to move as fast as lightning to get to Lily. But there was something that was bugging me. Why was she siding with us so easily? Why was she rushing to warn Lily like I was, but I was the one who was friends with the redhead for many years? Why she was so open and willing to protect Lily, even though we both knew she'd never talked to her before in her whole life?

"S-sure," I stuttered. And with that, Mary started in the opposite direction, and I turned toward the prefects' bathroom. But that thought was still nagging me, so I called out, "Wait!"

She stopped and turned around with a quizzical expression on her face.

I blurted the first question I could think of. "Why d'you… why? Um, why do you hate the Marauders?" My voice came out sounding tinny and small, and I bowed my head a little, ashamed at being so curious. But I wasn't about to go and take back those words. I was honestly curious.

Mary answered in a cold and far-off voice. "I just do. And I think that's all you want to know. I'm willing to help you, anytime, anyplace, to beat them. Just know that I'm here, and I'll do whatever I can, whenever you need me."

Her voice was so sure, so sincere, I just couldn't deny her or begin to call her a liar.

When I finished recalling my conversation with Mary to Lily, her mouth was open and she just breathed, "She really said that? That'd she help us?"

I nodded my head, hearing her distant voice ring through my mind. It sent doubtful shivers up my spine. "So, we could go find her, and then she'd help us all we want."

"With a prank?" Lily asked, leaning closer to me with a devilish smile on her face.

I pretended to consider it for a moment, building the tension, and then grinned widely. "Well, she is the smartest girl in our class with strategy and mechanical intellect. Oh, and directly behind you in grades."

Lily brought her hands together, rubbed them up and down like an evil villain would, and said, "Bring her to me."

* * *

**Mary's POV**

The grounds were quiet.

It seemed that way to me. Even though the people were noisy, the Quidditch fans were cheering, and the players zoomed through the air, there was a certain type of serenity to the scene. Early morning on a Saturday, and there was a peacefulness to the pitch that no one seemed to notice.

Or, maybe it was just me, waiting for the prank to unfold.

Lily could barely keep still in her seat next to me. She was bouncing around, watching James like hawk, and checking her watch every five seconds, waiting for the game to be done. Jadyn was almost as eager as Lily, but not quite as much. Probably because the prank did not involve Sirius.

There was a quick pang in my heart, but I shut it down quickly. I was getting better at controlling my emotions every day.

The players – Ravenclaw and Gryffindor – were fighting hard for the privilege to compete for the Quidditch Cup. I personally didn't care for Quidditch. It was all quite silly, anyway. Didn't we all come to Hogwarts to learn magic, not play with brooms and balls?

But I was here for the Marauder's humiliation, and only that.

There was a tap on my shoulder, and I whipped around to face Lily. She seemed taken aback by my fast response, but said in a sure voice, "Thanks, Mary."

I turned back to face the game. "No problem."

"I mean," she continued, not letting the subject drop, "you're helping us. With no direct motive. It… it's really nice. Because winning this means a lot to me."

"I know," I said, not turning to Lily. Conversation wasn't my favorite activity. I liked to give information, listen to the response, and then shut up. Receiving thanks and compliments weren't my forte.

"I just want to let you know I'm… I mean, me and Jadyn. We're really grateful to you. And probably owe you a lot more than we can give you," Lily continued. I could sense a hint of embarrassment in her voice, so I turned to look at her. Her head was also turned towards to the pitch.

I pushed my hair back from my face. "I don't need anything. I have everything I could want."

Lie. Another stab in my heart.

Lily finally turned her head and smiled at my blank expression. "That must be nice. To have everything you want, and not need anything else. It should be… satisfying, right?"

Satisfying. Sure, that's what you could call it.

I nodded and said, "I doubt _you_ have everything you want in life."

Lily's cheeks blushed a pink color, and she said quietly, "I… I think I do. I'm pretty sure I have everything I want."

"I don't think you do." I leaned in closer to her, trying to read her expression. She wasn't exactly hard, but there was some kind of false sincerity in her voice. "You're missing something."

"What am I missing?" she whispered, turning her head towards me with a sparkle in her emerald green eyes.

"You're missing a love."

Lily bowed her head, ashamed, and said, "I know I am. But nobody will go out with me, thanks to James."

I shook my head ever so slightly and turned back towards the Quidditch game. She still didn't see she was in love with James. And there was nothing me or Jadyn could do to help her. She had to figure it out herself.

The conversation was over. Thank Merlin.

"Gryffindor wins!" boomed over the loudspeaker, and I snapped my head up quickly to catch the announcer with a wild look on his face. "They caught the snitch! By golly, Jordan caught the snitch!"

"Lily," I said urgently, and she turned her head to me while watching the players slowly dismount and cheer – Gryffindors – or sulk – Ravenclaw. "Wait until James lands with the quaffle. Then levitate it straight at his head. Not too hard, but just enough to annoy him. Got it?"

Jadyn suddenly peered around Lily and whispered, "We ready?"

I nodded. "If Lily is."

Lily bit her lower lip and said, "I hope I am. Assume positions?"

At this, Jadyn slipped around to sit in Lily's seat, while Lily slid back behind the wooden bleachers and kneeled, pointing her wand over Jadyn's shoulder. I assumed the position behind Lily's kneeling back, keeping a higher outlook on everything.

The crowd gathered around James, and a chaser handed the big red quaffle to James's hands, and he held it above his head like a prize. I nudged Lily's shoulder, muttering, "Go! Now!"

Lily fell forward, startled, but then she quickly regained composure and muttered, "_Wingardium leviosa_."

I tried to look at the situation as if a spectator. James was surrounded by a group of fans, but suddenly, the quaffle slipped from his grip and flew straight upward. He looked at the floating ball just a couple feet from the tip of his fingers, a confused look on his face. The quaffle just sat in the air, as if hesitant to do anything else.

"Lily!" I tapped her shoulder and looked at her shaking wand arm. "Now! Bump him on his head!"

She seemed cautious, a scared look on her face. As if she didn't want to annoy James. As if she was against it at all costs. As if she didn't want to hurt him…

Lily broke the spell. The ball fell.

It bonked James right on the head, and he stumbled, staggering backwards into the crowd. They started to notice, and everyone rushed over to James, wondering what on earth was going on. Once he regained composure, however, his eyes searching the crowd, for one girl in particular.

And when he found her, he grinned and waved.

I could hear Lily's sharp intake of breath. It was like I could see her temper start to flare up, all with that one wave of his hand. But she couldn't find it in her to pick up the quaffle and try again, even though I desperately wanted to see James knocked on the head more than a few times.

People started to ask questions, wondering if he was okay and looking at the quaffle like it would suddenly jump up and kill them. Although James kept waving his hand, all the concerns shoved off as if it was no big deal that a quaffle had just hit him square on the head.

"Why'd you just drop it? You were supposed to knock him on the head repeatedly!" I hissed in Lily's ear angrily. She turned towards me, her face pale with… regret. Yes, it was definitely regret.

"I know," she whispered with a shaky voice, and that's when I knew she finally understood.

Lily Evans was in love with James Potter, and there was nothing she could do.

* * *

**A/N:** Ooh, interesting! Haha, I hope this update made up for the long wait…

Please leave a review! I'll update faster if you do. :)


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